British art-rockers Django Django played an entrancing show at Union Transfer on Friday night. Touring in support of their sophomore release, this year’s Born Under Saturn, the quartet played a captivating of new material but pulling strongly from their acclaimed self-titled debut album. The well-balanced set included fan favorites such as “Hail Bop,” “Default,” and “First Light.” Continue reading →

Though we had to take a little break from our trip back to 1969 in the #XPNGreatestYear Coutndown, the Free at Noon showcase from London’sDjango Djangomay have been the perfect band to end this week’s journey through music history. The art-rock quartet implements such a plethora of sounds, spanning the globe and several decades, that they showed the crowd at World Cafe Live, and listeners at home, how these last seven decades of music shape the here and now. Continue reading →

Newcomer Yoitscj! has just hit the Philly hip hop scene hard with his new trap single “Go.” The song, produced by Rob Devious and featuring vocals from Tay Jones, infectiously capitalizes on a hip hop subgenre that’s been blowing up as of late thanks to artists like Post Malone. With Kevin Durant and basketball references being ever so prominent, the entertaining song and equally entertaining video is a solid first effort. Check it out below. Continue reading →

You’ve missed it and it’s missed you. The Indie Rock Hit Parade is BACK tonight at 11pm on XPN! Tune in for a grand two-hour show, featuring some really special stuff you won’t want to miss. First and foremost, we’ve got a killer new IRHP LIVE Studio Session with Speedy Ortiz! The Massachusetts band recently dropped by our studio to play songs from their new album, Foil Deer. The performances are raw, honest and not to be missed. We’ll also spotlight the new album from California guitarist Mikal Cronin, MCIII! All that, plus a few of these new tracks that have been itching to infiltrate your ears:

It’s all about feeling the heat on tonight’s Indie Rock Hit Parade. We’re back tonight at 11pm on WXPN, and tonight’s two-hour show is loaded with new tracks that are sure to get you worked up. We’ll be spotlighting Born Under Saturn, the newly released album from Django Django, and premiering a few choice tunes that are dripping off the presses. These are but a few of those:

The Indie Rock Hit Parade offers up a non-stop cavalcade of new music tonight on XPN! Tune in at 11pm for, among other things, a spotlight on the new album from Australian synth-rockers Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders (highly recommended if you dig Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, btw). We’ll also premier several new tracks, including these:

The Indie Rock Hit Parade returns to your personal space tonight at 11pm on XPN! It’s technically the first “regular show” of the new year, but it’s far from just a “regular show.” Tune in for a spotlight on the new solo album from Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear, and hear a few of these fresh new tracks:

Today is the 7th annual Record Store Day. It’s a day to celebrate music, specifically the independent record stores that sell it and the exclusive vinyl selections by hundreds of bands being released as an incentive to get music fans into the stores.

Before you head out, check out our guide to what’s happening locally at various record stores around the Philadelphia area.

Below, listen to some of the offerings for the day including Bleeding Rainbow’s cover of the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Glynis,” Bardo Pond’s cover of Brian Eno’s “Here Comes The Warm Jets,” Django Django’s cover of The Monkees’ “Porpoise Song,” and a demo of “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden.

For concertgoers and music fans the world around, backstage has a total allure. Whether you’re giddily imagining hedonistic David Lee Roth style parties in the green room, or just an audio nerdio who relishes the tech perspective of live productions, there’s a sense of innate curiosity associated with just about everything that happens in the wings and beyond them.

For Philly’s Emily Simpson, backstage is her job; she’s a stage manager and patch tech at Union Transfer. This means she leads the bands on and offstage, works with artists and front-of-house engineers to set up their gear in the most efficient way, makes sure microphones and cables are plugged in properly and don’t clutter the performance area, cleans up spilled beer during the show, et cetera. “I’m kind of a jack of all trades,” she laughs. And her phone is always at her side, meaning she gets to shoot pictures from an angle that the general public doesn’t usually get to see.

Simpson recently collected these photos into a new Tumblr called #worklife – named for the hashtag she uses to organize the photos on her Instagram account – and it’s a lively behind-the-scenes view of one of the busiest mid-size venues in the region. She writes that the site “is designed as a way for me to curate those pictures as well as the memories attached to them.” For each photo she posts, she shares thoughts on what it depicts – whether its a short and general memory of the concert or a indepth and specific description of what we’re seeing. “I never really realized just how many stories I had associated with each show until I did this,” Simpson tells us.

As she writes on its about page, the blog is essentially “part self-serving reflection, part archiving exercise, all a little bit ridiculous.” Take a look at some of Simpson’s photos below, and follow the entire collection at stagepatchlady.tumblr.com. Continue reading →

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

Support The Key

What do you think?

Did you find what you were looking for? Was this page helpful?
Let us know

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH